The VFLW Bombers have secured fifth place and a maiden finals berth with a commanding 51-point win over Darebin Falcons at Bill Lawry Oval on Saturday.

A three-goal haul from Jessie Davies in slippery conditions helped seal the 7.10 (52) to 0.2 (2) win for the Bombers, setting up an elimination final against the fourth-placed Casey Demons next week.

A switch from defence to forward for Tamsin Crook proved successful, with the 18-year-old hitting the board in the opening minutes.

The Bombers’ young midfield was dominant early, with Alana Barba, Emilia Yassir and Georgie Prespakis fighting hard to clear the ball into space and set up their forwards.

Captain Georgia Nanscawen hit the board for her first goal as a Bomber before Jessie Davies further extended the lead with an on-the-run snap.

The Falcons’ intensity lifted after the first break, but the Bombers responded with a goal from Mia-Rae Clifford.

Calder Cannons debutant Tahlia Gillard adjusted quickly to the stronger bodies and performed well through the ruck while also flying high to crash packs across the forward line.

Davies put her body on the line to score her second goal and give the Bombers a 31-point lead at half-time.

After the main break, both teams came out firing but the Bombers’ authority over the game continued with Davies hitting the board for her third major.

Courtney Ugle was impressive through the midfield while Simone Nalder worked hard through the ruck to overcome Darebin’s height.

Despite a goalless final term from both sides, there was elation on the siren, with Essendon securing the 51-point win and a spot in the VFLW top six for the first time in its history.

Finals bound

After three seasons in the VFLW, Essendon has broken through for a maiden finals appearance after achieviseventh win for the season against the Falcons.

Nanscawen said she was extremely excited for what was to come, admitting the players didn’t let themselves think too far ahead until finals were made official with today’s win.

“It’s incredibly exciting. Obviously there’s been a bit of a build-up and we’ve been pretty keen to keep focused, as cliché as it sounds. We have been focusing on one week at a time and not getting too far ahead of ourselves,” Nanscawen said.

“But to be able to say now that we are playing in our first final series, it’s super exciting and I think from this point we can just enjoy it and make the most of the opportunity.”

As the team’s focus turns to its elimination final against fourth-placed Casey Demons, Nanscawen said the recent lockdown had given her team a chance to refresh and review its focus heading into finals.

“I think it’s just not trying to change anything or do anything different just because it’s finals. We still have to prepare well and we still have to recover well, but we will review today’s game and look at who we are playing next week,” she said.

“The last couple of weeks, coming back from lockdown, the vibe at training has been really good and people are appreciating football and the opportunity to play so we will give it a red-hot crack.”

Youth steps up

The Bombers blooded another debutant from the Calder Cannons in Gillard, who came into the side alongside fellow Cannons player Prespakis.

The pair were just several NAB League players who stepped up to VFLW level across the season, with Nanscawen impressed with how composed they were at the next level.

“They’ve slotted into our team brilliantly. We had ‘Tahls’ (Tahlia Gillard) today, a nice bit of height for our team. We also had Prespakis come back as well. ‘Millzy’ (Emilia Yassir) has slotted in really well,” she said.

 “It’s exciting to have them and they are bringing that energy and enthusiasm to the group, which is great.”

Clean in the wet 

Essendon adjusted well to the slippery and muddy conditions to clear the ball out of stoppages and move it quickly towards goal.

Nanscawen was impressed with her side's ability to overcome the difficult conditions while still sticking to its style of play.

“I think we knew that it was going to be a pretty contested game and we wanted to make sure we played more to our free-flowing style, which I think we did given the conditions,” she said.

“It was quite tough out there. We actually handled it pretty well and played on our terms which is exactly what we wanted to do.”

The VFLW Bombers will face Casey Demons next weekend in an elimination final, with the fixture yet to be released.

DAREBIN 0.0 0.2 0.2 0.2 (2)
ESSENDON 3.3 5.3 7.9 7.10 (52)

Goals: Davies 3, Crook, Nanscawen, Clifford, Nalder

Best: Barba, Yassir, Gillard, Prespakis, Nalder, Ugle